If a bitcointalk user is wearing a paid signature for a service, should readers view them as either personal endorsements from that bitcointalk user?
What is your opinion?
My opinion:
The advertisement should be considered as a paid advertisement, not a personal endorsement from the wearer.
However, users should be responsible for ensuring that the signature they are wearing is not a scam.
Similarly, readers should do their own research & due diligence before using any service, including ones within paid advertisements/signatures.
Look at what's happening with those ones who wear signatures of known on the forum scam 1xbit. So right, some investigation is required.
But how can we be sure that some project will become a scam before it scams? Sometimes we can get some hints, sometimes not. Whirlwind scam was unexpected. Bernard Madoff worked for dozens of years and was a respected financier. So DYOR is what expected each time.
When you see a billboard you anyway think if what is advertised there is suitable for you. The same about forum signatures. Of course promoting some known scam is unacceptable, but everyone should keep in mind that each their financial decision is a matter of their own responsibility, so to recheck everything by themselves.